REGIONALLY based construction company Richard Crookes Constructions has been awarded the contract for the $60 million redevelopment of Armidale’s Rural Referral Hospital.
The contract, which was announced on Monday, also provides a win for the wider community with the company set to employ local workers, according to Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
“Not only do we get a first class product here in terms of this redevelopment but we also keep as much of that $60 million that’s involved in that redevelopment in our local community...” Mr Marshall said.
Mr Marshall said the announcement is a major milestone and is setting in motion the plans to create a world class facility in Armidale.
“It will mean that at the conclusion of the development, people will not need to travel as far as they use to for their treatment.
“History has shown that having wonderful facilities certainly serves as a huge attractant… because we will have the very best facilities for them to practice in.
“I’m very determined to work in partnership with Hunter New England Health to ensure that we have a number of specialists in a number of areas that we need that will match our first class health facility,” Mr Marshall said.
Based in Tamworth, Richard Crookes Construction delivers a large number of major infrastructure works across the region.
NSW Health General Manager for the Tablelands Sector Wendy Mulligan said that she hopes the development will save people from having to travel to major centres for medical treatment through the new TeleHealth system which will be extended in the new building.
“The TeleHealth service enables patients who are living in very remote parts of the country to still have access to medical services.
“A patient doesn’t actually have to literally be sitting in the same room as their doctor, they can be at the end of a screen… and do consultations that way,” she said.
“We’ve got limited TeleHealth services now so it’s only in certain rooms within the hospital but we’re looking at putting it more extensively throughout the new building,” Ms Mulligan said.
Project Design Manager Chris Petrov said the team is really looking forward to giving Armidale a new facility.
“This project is being run out of our Tamworth office and we’ll have an onsite crew here managing.
“Richard Crookes has delivered Parks hospital, we’ve delivered Narrabri hospital, we’ve just finished two or three stages at Tamworth hospital and now we’re moving onto here,” he said.
Construction is estimated to be completed by late 2017.
